I fell in love with Gleefrom the very first episode of the season. Glee
stars Matthew Morrison
as Will Schuester, a former member of the Glee Club
and
now teacher at William McKinley High School. In Willís teenage years, Glee Club
was the ďITĒ club and Will has a dream to bring that feeling back, organizing a
new Glee Club. Unfortunately, all he could gather for the club were a bunch of
misfitsÖtalented misfits as Will soon learns; misfits that may bring the school
glory at this yearís sectionals.

The story was cute and quirky, but it
was the music of Glee I fell in love with. In fact, the moment I knew I
was hooked was when Matthew Morrison and his students performed Gold Diggerby Kanye West. Of course, itís a clean version of the song, but an
extremely well done version featuring a solo by the incredible Amber Riley. It
was after I was wowed by that performance that I couldnít wait to see and hear
more. Happily, the entire season was filled with performances of songs of today
mixed with popular songs of the past.

There was a time when you could only
download these performances on iTunes, but now, thanks to Columbia Records, you
can own Glee: The Music: Season 1, Volume 1 featuring seventeen songs
from the first season of this top rated series. The album features songs like
Donít Stop Believiní,
Canít Fight This Feeling,
the aforementioned Gold Digger, Take a Bow, and more. Each track features one or more members of
the Glee Club on lead vocals and every track is an amazing new realization of
hit songs you already know and love.

Of course, I do have my favorites.
Gold Digger is definitely one of them and after hearing Mercedes (Amber
Riley) bust out the beginning of that tune, I just knew she was destined for
greatness. So, itís no surprise that I would love Bust Your Windowsand
Hate On Me, songs that Amber Riley simply rocks! Another favorite is
Gleeís amazing ensemble cast rendition of QueenísSomebody to Love. I
always liked that song, but somehow Glee made it fresher and more alive.
And of course, who couldnít enjoy a fresh rendition of the Wicked song Defying Gravityas performed by Chris Colfer
and Lea Michele.

Favorites aside, I think the whole
album is terrific and found myself singing along with every single track. And
once I heard the entire album, I simply had to hear it again! Itís just that
good! Now, of course, the songs on the album are not complete remakes of each
tune. They are Glee Cast Versions - incredibly close, but enhanced. If you are
one of those folks who canít bear to hear a different interpretation of your
favorite song, then this album is not for you. But if youíre a fan of the
television show, then you simply must get your hands on Glee: The Music:
Season 1, Volume 1. I, for one, canít wait to listen to the album again
and, of course, get my hands on Volume 2 which contains even more songs
from Season 1.